Halloween Party Planning

In the fall the nights are getting longer and colder, and somehow more eerie. By October 31st, it becomes easier to imagine a world of fog, ghosts, goblins, witches, zombies and vampires. Perhaps you are one of the hordes of brave people willing to host all of these strange creatures at a party that special Halloween evening.

Where to begin planning a Halloween party

First, figure out who will be your guests. Your whole approach will be different for children or adults. If a broad age range of family guests will be invited, you will need to plan how to meet the different needs of each group as the evening progresses, and make the entertainment more scary after the younger ones go to bed for the night, if they do.

Once you have your guest list, and have decided on a suitable date, time and place, its time to prepare your Halloween theme invitations. This is a fun thing to do. Part of the attraction of Halloween is how many variations there are on the horror theme. Your invitation should be novel, colorful and scary, but be sensitive about doing things like including plastic spiders to fall out of the envelope. Not everyone will see that as a joke. You should tell your guests if they are expected to wear Halloween costumes. You may want to include an RSVP request for confirmation so you know how many guests to cater for.

You will need to make at least some effort to set the Halloween theme at the entry to your home and in the rooms where you will hold the party. A haunted house theme is the most popular approach, with subdued lighting, images of ghosts and ghouls, hairy spiders and their webs, sound effects and perhaps even a fog machine. Halloween is about Jack-o-lanterns made out of pumpkins with a candle inside, or a battery operated light. You will need to make quite a few carved pumpkins, in different sizes, to help create the atmosphere.

With all that pumpkin flesh left over from carving your pumpkins, your party menu might include pumpkin soup and pumpkin pie. Halloween themes have their place in your choice of food to serve. However, following the horror theme to an excess when laying out your table can detract from the pleasure and fun your guests will have at your party. Great food makes for a memorable party. Will you serve a full meal or finger food, a sit down dinner or a buffet? The meal can be a good time to distribute party favors, especially if your party bag includes jokes, games or other things that will stimulate conversation. Keep the party moving.

Buying, renting or making Halloween costumes needs to be planned well in advance. Wearing costumes is a very effective way to get your guests into a party mood, to get conversations started and to get people laughing. Going a step further and having your guest wear masks is a traditional way of making your guests less self conscious, and to quickly break the ice.

Halloween music and sound effects should be used to help set the atmosphere as part of the party entertainment. At some point your guests will likely want to dance. Use good danceable music that everyone is familiar with and all the ages at your party will enjoy. Making up a compilation of music especially for the evening on your computer can be fun. You may be able to mix Halloween noises with your music. You may also want to include short or full horror movies in the entertainment, as in the background on a TV. Halloween theme party games and activities add to the spooky fun as well. A good organized party and some prizes help to get everyone participating.

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